Snapshot: Highly regarded restaurant devoted to Latin American cuisine does equally creative work with cocktails such as the Peruvian Air Strike.

Who goes there: It's at the Pearl, so casually upscale Pearl habitués. The bar also has reached out to service-industry workers at the complex.

Fun and games: This isn't the place to catch a game, but watching top-notch bartenders at work — pouring candy-colored libations or whipping a lemon peel into a curlicue garnish — can be pretty entertaining.

Behind the bar: Nao's specialty drinks are made with New World liquors — tequila, mescal, rum and pisco — but go way beyond margaritas and daiquiris. South American beers — Quilmes from Argentina is a good one — are available, too.

Saturday night lively: Nao becomes a hot spot from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, with a special late-night food and drink menu. Head bartender Steven Raul Martin calls dishes such as Tacos de Bistec, three soft tacos with charbroiled ribeye and pickled onion, “comfort food” for people who have been out drinking and are ready to slow down, or those fueling up for a late night. Bartenders have fun with the drink selection, which includes Old World spirits. The Tiki Barber, a rum and citrus drink, hits like its namesake crashing through a defensive line.